English Language

Literary Analysis

4,495 Questions

Analyze classic and modernist novels, autobiographies, plays, and graphic novels across various genres. This topic tests your familiarity with prominent authors, literary movements, and thematic elements. Questions appear regularly in the English language sections of SSC, banking, and teaching competency exams.

Classic and modernist novelsAutobiographies and biographiesPoetic language and farcesThematic literary elements

Literary Analysis Questions

Multiple choice

In the chilling tale "The Tell-Tale Heart" by Edgar Allan Poe, what is the narrator's obsession that leads to the murder of an old man?

  1. The old man's vulture-like eye

  2. The old man's wealth

  3. The old man's heart

  4. The old man's secret
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
A Correct answer
Explanation

The narrator in "The Tell-Tale Heart" is driven to madness by the old man's vulture-like eye.

Multiple choice

What was the name of the American book that was banned in the Soviet Union during the Cold War?

  1. 1984

  2. Animal Farm

  3. Brave New World

  4. All of the above
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
D Correct answer
Explanation

1984, Animal Farm, and Brave New World were all American books that were banned in the Soviet Union during the Cold War.

Multiple choice

Which Victorian novel explores the theme of social inequality and class struggle?

  1. Jane Eyre

  2. Wuthering Heights

  3. Great Expectations

  4. Oliver Twist
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
D Correct answer
Explanation

Oliver Twist, written by Charles Dickens, delves into the harsh realities of poverty and the struggles of the working class in Victorian England.

Multiple choice

Which Victorian novel explores the theme of female empowerment and independence?

  1. Jane Eyre

  2. Little Women

  3. The Mill on the Floss

  4. Villette
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
A Correct answer
Explanation

Jane Eyre, written by Charlotte Brontë, is a powerful exploration of a young woman's journey towards self-discovery and independence in a patriarchal society.

Multiple choice

Which Victorian novel delves into the psychological complexities of human nature?

  1. The Picture of Dorian Gray

  2. The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde

  3. The Turn of the Screw

  4. Heart of Darkness
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
A Correct answer
Explanation

The Picture of Dorian Gray, written by Oscar Wilde, explores the darker aspects of human nature, particularly the consequences of vanity and moral decay.

Multiple choice

Which Victorian novel explores the theme of forbidden love and societal expectations?

  1. Wuthering Heights

  2. Great Expectations

  3. Tess of the d'Urbervilles

  4. The Scarlet Letter
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
A Correct answer
Explanation

Wuthering Heights, written by Emily Brontë, is a passionate and tragic tale of love that defies social norms and conventions.

Multiple choice

Which Victorian novel explores the theme of social hypocrisy and the double standards of society?

  1. The Hypocrite

  2. The Way We Live Now

  3. Middlemarch

  4. The Portrait of a Lady
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
B Correct answer
Explanation

The Way We Live Now, written by Anthony Trollope, satirizes the materialistic and morally bankrupt society of Victorian England.

Multiple choice

Which Victorian novel explores the theme of spiritual growth and the search for meaning in life?

  1. The Mill on the Floss

  2. Adam Bede

  3. Silas Marner

  4. Middlemarch
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
D Correct answer
Explanation

Middlemarch, written by George Eliot, is a complex and profound exploration of human nature, morality, and the search for fulfillment.

Multiple choice

Which Victorian novel explores the theme of social mobility and the pursuit of wealth and status?

  1. Great Expectations

  2. Vanity Fair

  3. The Rise of Silas Lapham

  4. The American
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
A Correct answer
Explanation

Great Expectations, written by Charles Dickens, follows the journey of Pip, a young orphan who navigates the complexities of social class and the desire for upward mobility.

Multiple choice

Which of these plays was NOT performed at the National Theatre in the 1960s?

  1. Hamlet

  2. Waiting for Godot

  3. The Homecoming

  4. Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
B Correct answer
Explanation

Waiting for Godot was not performed at the National Theatre in the 1960s.

Multiple choice

Which of these plays was NOT written by a British playwright?

  1. The History Boys

  2. Angels in America

  3. The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time

  4. Jerusalem
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
B Correct answer
Explanation

Angels in America was written by the American playwright Tony Kushner.

Multiple choice

Which of these plays is NOT set in London?

  1. The History Boys

  2. Angels in America

  3. The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time

  4. Jerusalem
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
B Correct answer
Explanation

Angels in America is not set in London.

Multiple choice

Which of these plays is NOT a comedy?

  1. The History Boys

  2. The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time

  3. Jerusalem

  4. The Seagull
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
D Correct answer
Explanation

The Seagull is not a comedy.

Multiple choice

Which of these plays is NOT a political drama?

  1. Angels in America

  2. The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time

  3. Jerusalem

  4. The Seagull
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
D Correct answer
Explanation

The Seagull is not a political drama.

Multiple choice

Which of these plays is NOT a social drama?

  1. The History Boys

  2. The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time

  3. Jerusalem

  4. The Seagull
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
D Correct answer
Explanation

The Seagull is not a social drama.